Ryan Fikes – The National Wildlife Federation Bloghttp://blog.nwf.org
The National Wildlife Federation's blogTue, 18 Dec 2018 18:36:50 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9139259312Gulf Oysters: A National Treasure, Providing Natural Defenseshttp://blog.nwf.org/2017/08/gulf-oysters-a-national-treasure-providing-natural-defenses/
http://blog.nwf.org/2017/08/gulf-oysters-a-national-treasure-providing-natural-defenses/#commentsFri, 04 Aug 2017 12:00:46 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=129904When people on the Gulf coast think of an oyster, what immediately comes to mind are the big, juicy blobs on the half-shell. But oysters are not just a delicious …

]]>When people on the Gulf coast think of an oyster, what immediately comes to mind are the big, juicy blobs on the half-shell. But oysters are not just a delicious treat—they are also incredibly important for the health of the Gulf and its economy.

Unfortunately, it is estimated that oyster reefs have declined by as much as 90 percent globally for a multitude of reasons, including overharvesting, dredging, and changes in the quality, quantity and timing of fresh water flowing into coastal estuaries where oysters live. Today, the Gulf of Mexico is one of the few places in the world where there are enough wild oyster reefs to support a significant harvest. But even in the Gulf, oyster reef losses have been significant— more than 80 percent in parts of Mississippi and Alabama.

Oysters improve water quality

An adult oyster can filter as much as 50 gallons of water per day, both improving water quality and clarity. Two of the most common pollutants in U.S. waters today are nitrogen and phosphorus—largely the result of fertilizer runoff and wastewater. These nutrients cause phytoplankton to bloom rapidly and then die—using up oxygen in the water, and creating problems for many species of wildlife. Oyster reefs filter these problematic nutrients out of the water at high rates.

In places like Galveston Bay, it is estimated that a 130-acre oyster reef, containing 10 oysters per square meter, could filter about 260 million gallons of water per day—that’s more than all of the city of Houston’s 39 wastewater treatment plants put together in 2009!

In the Gulf, we support creating new oyster reefs in places like McKay Bay in the Tampa area, where stormwater and wastewater currently degrade water quality.

Oysters provide habitat for fish and wildlife

Oystercatchers are just one species that rely on oyster reefs– but this habitat has declined across the Gulf. Photo donated by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Kathy Reeves.

Hundreds of species of wildlife use oyster reefs, including fish, shellfish, and birds —which means these habitats rival salt marshes and seagrass beds in terms of their wildlife density and diversity. In fact, oyster reefs are so important, that building new reefs can actually increase the number of fish and crustaceans in an area. In one example, just 3.5 miles of newly-built oyster reefs resulted in nearly 7,000 pounds of additional fish and shellfish caught annually.

In places like Louisiana’s Biloxi Marsh, oyster restoration efforts are being designed that will protect nearby marshes from erosion—critical in an area with some of the high rates of wetlands loss in the world.

In Mobile Bay, where more than 80 percent the bay’s oysters have been lost, the 100:1000: Restore Coastal Alabama partnership is rebuilding 100 miles of oyster reefs along the coast, which will in turn protect more than 1,000 acres of coastal marsh and seagrass.

Help us make sure that fines from the BP spill are dedicated to projects such as restoring oyster reefs and others that will aid in Gulf recovery.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2017/08/gulf-oysters-a-national-treasure-providing-natural-defenses/feed/1129904Making a Difference for the Gulf of Mexicohttp://blog.nwf.org/2017/04/making-a-difference-for-the-gulf-of-mexico/
http://blog.nwf.org/2017/04/making-a-difference-for-the-gulf-of-mexico/#respondFri, 14 Apr 2017 14:23:28 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=127395The National Wildlife Federation recently released a new interactive, online report – Making the Most of Restoration: Priorities for a Recovering Gulf. This report stresses the importance of restoring the Gulf’s …

]]>The National Wildlife Federation recently released a new interactive, online report – Making the Most of Restoration: Priorities for a Recovering Gulf. This report stresses the importance of restoring the Gulf’s estuaries—the places where rivers meet the sea, and fresh and saltwater mix. Estuaries are among the most important natural habitats in the world, serving as spawning, nursery, and feeding grounds for fish and shellfish, as well as many species of birds.

As we decide how to spend the newly-available Deepwater Horizon settlement funds, we need to let science guide our restoration choices. This means that projects must address restoration needs that tackle underlying stressors in an ecosystem. No one project will be a fix-all for the Gulf. It will take a combination of many multifaceted projects over the course of many years to move the needle on Gulf recovery.

The report highlights 50 projects, which are grouped into six categories, which aim to work synergistically to create benefits across the Gulf:

Hydrologic Restoration – Most of the major rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico have been significantly altered, and in some cases estuaries may not have enough fresh water to maintain their ecological functions. Having an adequate supply of fresh water, in addition to ensuring proper circulation within estuaries, is critical for habitats such as wetlands and oyster reefs to thrive.

Sediment Diversions – The Mississippi River is straitjacketed by levees from the Midwest to the bird-foot delta. Sediment that once fed Louisiana’s wetlands and barrier islands is now sent deep into the Gulf of Mexico, causing Louisiana’s wetlands and marshes to disappear rapidly. Our recommendations in Louisiana will strategically re-connect the river’s fresh water and sediment with the eroding wetlands.

Coastal Wetlands– Wetlands play a critical role in the Gulf ecosystem—providing habitat, filtering pollutants, stabilizing shorelines, and providing protection from storms. The Gulf Coast is home to more than half of all saltwater wetlands in the country, but wetland losses in the Gulf region have been massive, and with these losses comes declines in nursery habitat, storm surge buffering, and water quality.

Oyster Reefs & Shorelines – Oyster reefs improve water quality, protect shorelines from storms and provide important habitat for many economically important species of fish and shellfish. But oyster reefs have declined dramatically across the Gulf for a multitude of reasons, such as over-harvesting, dredging, and human-induced changes in the quality, quantity and timing of freshwater flowing into estuaries.

Habitat Protection – The vast majority of the Gulf’s coastal lands are in private hands and include key habitats for fish and waterfowl. This adds up to roughly 250 million acres of privately held agricultural and forested lands. When and where appropriate, key parcels of coastal lands should to be purchased in order to protect them into perpetuity.

Barrier Islands– Barrier islands serve as a first line of defense against storms, protecting communities, wetlands, and other estuarine habitats, such as critical nesting and foraging grounds. However, many of the Gulf’s barrier islands are eroding rapidly, particularly in the Mississippi River Delta, and thus require significant attention.

By focusing on projects that work together to benefit the Gulf, we can maximize the restoration bang for the buck and move the needle towards Gulf recovery. The projects in the National Wildlife Federation’s new report aim to enhance the ecological functioning of these critical habitats, thus supporting productivity of the entire Gulf ecosystem and the economy that depends on it.

The National Wildlife Federation is on the ground in all five Gulf states, working to restore the Gulf of Mexico!

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2017/04/making-a-difference-for-the-gulf-of-mexico/feed/0127395Progress Towards Restoring the Gulf for Wildlifehttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/09/progress-towards-restoring-the-gulf-for-wildlife/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/09/progress-towards-restoring-the-gulf-for-wildlife/#respondTue, 27 Sep 2016 12:00:49 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=122756Now that BP and the other oil companies have settled with the states and the federal government, there is roughly $16 billion dollars available for restoration. But even this enormous sum …

Now that BP and the other oil companies have settled with the states and the federal government, there is roughly $16 billion dollars available for restoration. But even this enormous sum may not be enough money to offset the long-term degradation that has plagued the Gulf. Therefore, it is critical that every dollar fund projects crucial to the health of the region.

The National Wildlife Federation released a report in December 2014 that recommended a state-by-state list of projects to begin a robust investment by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council in the health and productivity of Gulf estuaries. In our view, these projects — or at least, these types of projects — would provide a good start for Gulf-wide restoration and set the stage for future project investments across funding streams. Here are a few examples of how smart restoration efforts can improve the health of the Gulf.

Healthy oyster reefs are essential for many species of coastal fish and other wildlife, but today the oyster harvest in Apalachicola Bay is less than half the normal levels. Photo by Steven Gray/ Flickr

Apalachicola Bay Oyster Restoration

In the past, 90 percent of the oysters harvested in the state of Florida come from Apalachicola Bay. But today, the oyster harvest in Apalachicola Bay is less than half normal levels, largely due to insufficient freshwater inflows reaching the bay due to mismanagement of upstream dams, upstream water use, and recent drought.

This project, funded through the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, will enhance approximately 18 acres of oyster reefs and improve the management of approximately 3,000 additional acres to improve oyster habitat. This project will also inform the design and management of future oyster reef restoration projects by providing a better understanding of what the oyster reefs in the bay need to survive.

Mississippi River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp

Wood ducks live in the Maurepas Swamp. Photo by Dave Menke, USFWS

Louisiana’s Maurepas Swamp is one of the largest areas of forested wetlands along the Gulf Coast. Levees constructed along the Mississippi River and the closure of a creek known as Bayou Manchac have isolated the area from spring floods and the fresh water, nutrients and sediments they bring.

This isolation — and the resulting rising salinity levels — have left the swamp in a state of rapid decline. This planning project, funded under the RESTORE Act, includes the engineering and design for the restoration and enhancement of the Maurepas Swamp through the reintroduction of seasonal Mississippi River inflow.

Golden Triangle Marsh Creation

The Golden Triangle, also known as “the funnel”, is a wetland area at the confluence of two manmade navigation channels. The triangle, partly located in New Orleans, was badly damaged by saltwater intrusion and erosion following the construction of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet in the 1960s. During Hurricane Katrina, there was a funnel effect of storm surge in this area due to the two channels and catastrophic flooding occurred in nearby communities.

The Army Corps built a $1.2 billion surge barrier across the funnel in 2009. Funded under the RESTORE Act, this project completes the planning activities to re-build approximately 600 acres of wetlands within the Golden Triangle Marsh system. These wetlands will help protect vulnerable communities from any future storm surges.

Maurepas Swamp, one of the largest areas of forested wetlands along the Gulf Coast, is losing land rapidly, and reintroducing freshwater and sediment from the Mississippi River will improve the health of the swamp. Photo by Louisiana Lost Lands Environmental Tours

Bahia Grande Wetland System Restoration

Historically, South Texas’ Bahia Grande was important habitat for a wide variety of fish and wildlife. However, the natural tidal flow between Bahia Grande and the Laguna Madre was cut off by construction projects starting in the 1930s. This project, funded under the RESTORE Act, will complete planning and design on an effort to restore the flow of fresh water to La Laguna Larga and to reduce salinity levels on roughly 600 acres of wetlands.

Habitat Restoration and Conservation in Turkey Creek

Turkey Creek is a primary tributary to the Back Bay of Biloxi. This project, funded through the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, will protect lands to enhance water quality in the 30,000-acre watershed. Restoration efforts will include wetlands restoration, the creation of water quality buffers along the stream, invasive species removal, and stabilizing the stream’s banks.

These efforts will improve water quality and will enhance the natural connections between Turkey Creek, Bernard Bayou and the Back Bay of Biloxi, benefiting wildlife along the Mississippi Coast.

Speak Up for Wildlife

The Restore Council recently released a draft updated Comprehensive Plan. This plan paves the road for future restoration investments made by the Council, which will allocate millions more towards restoration in key watersheds around the Gulf.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2016/09/progress-towards-restoring-the-gulf-for-wildlife/feed/0122756$80 Million Announced for Gulf Restoration Projectshttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/11/80-million-announced-for-gulf-restoration-projects/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/11/80-million-announced-for-gulf-restoration-projects/#respondMon, 16 Nov 2015 20:23:20 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=110298The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has recently announced a third round of projects funded by BP and Transocean’s 2012 criminal settlement. To date, nearly $480 million from this fund has been designated …

]]>The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has recently announced a third round of projects funded by BP and Transocean’s 2012 criminal settlement. To date, nearly $480 million from this fund has been designated for restoration projects benefitting wildlife across the Gulf Coast. In this round, a total of 22 projects in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida were selected.

Oystercatchers are just one of hundreds of species that utilize oyster reefs for food or habitat. These reefs are one habitat type to benefit from this restoration funding. Photo donated by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Kathy Reeves.

Restoring Healthy Estuaries

Projects to improve the health of the Gulf’s estuaries—places where rivers flow into oceans—will help fish and wildlife and will benefit recreational anglers, commercial fishing, tourism, and the overall quality of life in coastal communities.

Restoration: The Big Picture

Ultimately, as much as $16 billion will be available for restoration efforts across the Gulf—from different funding sources, specifically the RESTORE Act and Natural Resources Damage Assessment. Leadership and coordination will be necessary to ensure this funding goes where it can make the greatest contribution towards the health of the Gulf.

The RESTORE Council can demonstrate this type of leadership by working quickly and collaboratively to update their Initial Comprehensive Plan. The Council should ensure that part of this update includes the development of a framework that can guide the Council in its future work to restore the Gulf ecosystem. The plan itself can serve as a roadmap for decision-making and project selection, including the coordination between various funding sources.

Take Action

The National Wildlife Federation is working in each state and across the Gulf to ensure that these restoration funds are used to restore important habitats for fish and wildlife, improve the quality of life for people on the Gulf Coast, and help make coastal communities more resilient.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/11/80-million-announced-for-gulf-restoration-projects/feed/0110298What We Know Now About the BP Oil Disasterhttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/11/what-we-know-now-about-the-bp-oil-disaster/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/11/what-we-know-now-about-the-bp-oil-disaster/#commentsMon, 09 Nov 2015 20:49:42 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=110164It’s been more than five years since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded. Since that time, a council of federal and state Trustees have been extensively investigating the impacts of …

]]>It’s been more than five years since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded. Since that time, a council of federal and state Trustees have been extensively investigating the impacts of the disaster on wildlife and habitats, but that information has been kept under wraps—for use in litigation against BP. Now that the case has settled, this research has finally been made public in a draft Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan.

The impacts to wildlife and their habitats are shocking and far reaching. Despite clean-up efforts and the natural weathering processes over the five years since the spill, oil persists in some habitats where it continues to expose resources in the northern Gulf of Mexico. In many cases, the damage to wildlife and habitats was more severe than previously understood. The ecological linkages of these habitats and communities and their connectivity to the larger Gulf of Mexico ecosystem can result in cascading impacts, influencing the overall health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.

Together, the National Wildlife Federation and Ocean Conservancy scientists have worked to dig in to the massive report and digest its findings. Here is a snapshot of the types and severity of impacts outlined in the draft report.

1. Birds

While the Trustees acknowledge that this is a very conservative estimate, the total number of birds killed by the BP oil disaster is from 56,100 to 102,400 birds. At least 93 species of birds across all five Gulf Coast states were exposed to oil.

2. Beach & Dune Habitat

BP oil covered at least 1,300 miles of the Gulf coastline, including 600 miles of beach, dune and barrier island habitat.

3. Lost Human Use

The public lost 16,857,116 days of boating, fishing and beach-going experiences. The total loss of recreational use of the Gulf due to the disaster is worth $528 million to $859 million.

4. Oysters

Between 4 and 8.3 billion oysters are estimated to have been lost. Over three generations (minimum recovery time), the dead oysters would have produced a total of 240 to 508 million pounds of fresh oyster meat.

5. Salt Marsh

Louisiana lost up to 53 percent of its salt marsh plants across 350-721 miles of shoreline. In Louisiana wetlands, erosion rates approximately doubled along at least 108 miles of shoreline. The effect lasted for at least 3 years.

6. Sargassum

Sargassum, a floating seaweed that provides habitat for young fish and sea turtles, was exposed to oil, which may have caused the loss of up to 23 percent of this important habitat.

7. Seagrass Habitat

Seagrass beds covering a total area roughly the size of 206 football fields (272 acres) were lost from the time of the disaster through 2012.

8. Larval Fish

The Trustees estimated that 2-5 trillion larval fish were killed. The loss of larval fish likely translated into millions to billions of fish that would have reached a year old had they not been killed by the BP oil disaster.

9. Sea Trout

Several of species of sea trout, including the spotted (or speckled) sea trout, were severely impacted by the disaster. An estimated 20-100 billion sea trout larvae were killed as a result of the disaster.

10. Shrimp

The growth of young white, pink and brown shrimp was dramatically affected by oil. The total loss of shrimp production over 2010 and 2011 due to oiling is estimated at more than 2,300 tons.

11. Red Drum

The growth of young red drum fell by up to 47 percent along marsh shorelines in Louisiana that were persistently oiled since 2010, and an estimated 700 tons of red drum were lost. Reduced red drum production persisted through 2013 and is expected to continue.

12. Whales

While nearly all of the species of whales in the footprint of the oil have demonstrable, quantifiable injuries, the most hard-hit was the Bryde’s whale. With only about 50 Bryde’s whales left in the Gulf, roughly half of these animals were exposed to oil—and nearly a quarter were killed. It is unclear if Bryde’s whales will be able to recover.

13. Bottlenose Dolphins

The number of bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay and Mississippi Sound—two areas particularly affected by the disaster—is projected to decline by half. The populations are expected to take 40-50 years to recover. In the 5 years after the oil disaster, more than 75 percent of pregnant dolphins observed within the oil footprint failed to give birth to a viable calf.

14. Coral Reefs

The footprint of injury to mid-depth coral reefs is just over 4 square miles. These areas along the continental shelf edge, known as the Pinnacles, showed extensive damage to both the coral colonies and the reef fish associated with them. The larger ecological functions of this habitat were very likely impaired.

15. Sea Turtles

All five of the Gulf’s sea turtles are either threatened or endangered. It is estimated that somewhere between 61,000 and 173,000 sea turtles—of all ages—were killed during the disaster. For the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, this equals 10-20 percent of the average number of nesting females each year, which would have laid approximately 65,000 – 95,000 additional hatchlings.

16. Deep Seafloor

The footprint of BP oil on the Gulf seafloor around the wellhead is an area more than 20 times the size of Manhattan (over 770 square miles). An additional 3,300 square miles may have been affected.

Ensuring Comprehensive Restoration

It is essential to track the healing of the ecosystem from the disaster in order to steer restoration decisions. What is unknown—and unknowable at this time—is how these effects might trigger additional cascading impacts that could further impair the health of the Gulf of Mexico.

Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said this about these new revelations of impacts to Gulf wildlife:

Helping the Gulf of Mexico recover from this unprecedented disaster should be a national priority. Ultimately, as much as $16 billion in criminal penalties, the RESTORE Act dollars, and the Oil Pollution Act fines will be available for restoration efforts across the Gulf. Ensuring that this money goes where it can do the most good will require commitment and coordination—we’re on the ground in all five states working to make sure this happens.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/11/what-we-know-now-about-the-bp-oil-disaster/feed/2110164$1.2 Billion Will Support Gulf Science Programshttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/08/1-2-billion-will-support-gulf-science-programs/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/08/1-2-billion-will-support-gulf-science-programs/#respondTue, 25 Aug 2015 20:03:55 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=108695In the early days of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, it became apparent that there was a lack of base scientific understanding of the Gulf ecosystem, and how the oil might …

]]>In the early days of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, it became apparent that there was a lack of base scientific understanding of the Gulf ecosystem, and how the oil might affect it.

Between the recent BP settlement, the prior criminal penalties and the Transocean settlement, the penalties from the Deepwater Horizon represent the largest slug of funding for restoration the country has ever seen—perhaps as much as $16 billion, when all the sources are put together.

This funding helps remedy the lack of scientific knowledge about the Gulf. Efforts to improve the state of the science in the Gulf will receive more than $1.2 billion. This is an enormous amount of funding—for a comparison, it is more money than the Land & Water Conservation Fund has received since its inception in 1965. The region is not likely to see this much funding for science again, and these efforts will create the underpinning of comprehensive ecosystem restoration in the Gulf of Mexico.

Here is how each of these new programs aim to meet science needs:

Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, BP announced a commitment of up to $500 million over 10 years to fund a program for independent research into the impact of the oil spill and the effects on the environment and public health in the Gulf of Mexico. The guiding principles of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) maintain that the $500 million committed by BP will be evenly distributed over a period of ten years, which means funding will be available for another four years ending in December 2019.

GoMRI research has improved our ability to understand, respond to, and mitigate the impacts of petroleum pollution and related stressors in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere. Competitive grants are evaluated and selected by operating principles in a master research agreement.

In order to achieve the GoMRI mission, two rounds of 3-year funding have been awarded to Research Consortia. These consortia play a critical role in addressing the GoMRI Research Themes, building scientific capacity, and coordinating across disciplines. To learn more about these consortia, click here.

National Academy of Sciences’ Gulf Research Program

The National Academy of Sciences will receive a total of $500 million from BP and Transocean’s criminal fines. Over the next 30 years, the new Gulf Research Program will seek to better understand oil system safety, human health, and the environmental resources and will address three interconnected goals:

Improving understanding of the connections between human health and the environment to support the development of healthy and resilient Gulf communities.

Advancing understanding of the Gulf of Mexico region as a dynamic system with complex, interconnecting human and environmental systems, functions, and processes to inform the protection and restoration of ecosystem services.

The program has developed a strategic vision document describing some initial activities and setting out the Program’s vision for contributing to the Gulf region and the nation.

NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program

The RESTORE Act could support native fish such as this snook. Photo by Jim Mullhaup via Flickr Creative Commons

The RESTORE Act, which sent 80% of the Clean Water Act fines from the Deepwater Horizon disaster back to the Gulf States, also set up the program known as the NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program. The 2013 Transocean settlement will provide the NOAA Restore Act Science Program with $20 million, and the 2015 BP settlement an additional $110 million, over the better part of two decades.

The program is designed to research, monitor and support the long‐term sustainability of the ecosystem, fish stocks, fish habitat, and the recreational and commercial fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. The program’s long-term research priorities are captured in the Program’s science plan.

This plan also establishes ten long-term research priorities which will guide how the Program invests its funds and explains the process by which these areas of investment were determined.

RESTORE Centers of Excellence

Under the RESTORE Act, 2.5% of the Clean Water Act fines are dedicated to Research Centers of Excellence in each of the five Gulf States. The 2013 Transocean settlement will provide the designated centers with $20 million, and the 2015 BP settlement an additional $110 million. These amounts will be broken down equally amongst each Gulf state ($26M/state).

Under the RESTORE Act, each Center will focus on science, technology, and monitoring in at least one of the following categories:

Research and monitoring of important wildlife, such as the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle pictured here, will be a major focus moving forward.” Photo Credit: US Fish & Wildlife Service

Coastal and deltaic sustainability, restoration, and protection, including solutions and technology that allow citizens to live in a safe and sustainable manner in a coastal delta in the Gulf region;

Coastal fisheries and wildlife ecosystem research and monitoring in the Gulf Coast region;

Offshore energy development, including research and technology, to improve the sustainable and safe development of energy resources in the Gulf of Mexico;

Sustainable and resilient growth, economic and commercial development in the Gulf Coast region

Comprehensive observation, monitoring, and mapping.

Continuing Science Based Programs

A lot of dollars are coming to the Gulf region to be spent over the next 30 years for the science needs of the Gulf ecosystem. It is thus imperative that these programs and processes operate in a manner that support one another and minimize duplicative efforts. For a time there was an ad hoc committee coordinating the various science and restoration programs, but no formal mechanism for this coordination currently exists.

The National Wildlife Federation strongly believes that sound science is critical in order to ensure that the Gulf ecosystem is restored to the maximum extent possible.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/08/1-2-billion-will-support-gulf-science-programs/feed/010869510 Things BP’s New Report Doesn’t Tell Youhttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/03/10-things-bps-new-report-doesnt-tell-you/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/03/10-things-bps-new-report-doesnt-tell-you/#commentsTue, 17 Mar 2015 12:47:49 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=104870BP has just released a new report on the state of the Gulf, called Gulf of Mexico: Environmental Recovery and Restoration. The glossy report is filled with footnotes and citations, …

If you are interested in the ongoing impacts of BP oil spill, stay tuned for our upcoming report Gulf Wildlife in the Aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster: Five Years and Counting. This new report, which looks at 20 species of wildlife or wildlife groups, will be released March 30th.

1) Dolphins died before the spill–from freshwater

The report says: “An “unusual mortality event” (UME) involving an abnormally high number of dolphin deaths in the Gulf of Mexico began in February 2010, months before the Deepwater Horizon accident.”

What it leaves out: The deaths of a cluster of dolphins during the months before the Deepwater Horizon exploded were likely caused by extended exposure to fresh water and unusually cold weather. (Source: NOAA)

2) Gulf dolphins are now very susceptible to an old disease

The report says: “NOAA has said that brucella, a bacterium that can infect animals, is “a common thread” in a number of the animals examined. Nearly one-third of the dolphins tested as of Nov. 25, 2014 were positive for brucella.”

What it leaves out: In 2011, Teri Rowles, the coordinator of NOAA’s National Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program said, “Severe environmental stress, including from exposure to oil, could have reduced the animals’ ability to fight infection.”(Source: NOAA)

And in 2013, NOAA released a study showing that dolphins in heavily-oiled Barataria Bay had adrenal gland problems consistent with oil exposure that would in fact harm their ability to fight infections.(Source: Environmental Science & Technology)

3) For the Kemp’s ridley, anything less than an increase is a decrease

The report says: “For Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, nesting numbers the two years after the accident were above historical averages.”

What it leaves out: Up until 2009, Kemp’s ridley nests were increasing exponentially (15-19%) every year. In 2011 and 2012, the number of Kemp’s ridley nests—while essentially the same as the numbers seen in 2009—were still below expectations. Even more troubling are the significant decreases in nests seen in 2010, 2013, and 2014. (Source: Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission)

4) Sperm whales in the Gulf have high levels of toxic metals

The report says: “While data analysis is ongoing, BP has not seen any evidence indicating that oil or dispersant compounds from the Deepwater Horizon accident have impacted the health of whales in the Gulf.”

What it leaves out: Researchers have found higher levels of DNA-damaging metals such as chromium and nickel in sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico compared to sperm whales elsewhere in the world. (Source: Environmental Science & Technology)

And a recent study found that the two dispersants used in the Deepwater Horizon spill—Corexit 9500 and 9527—were both found to be damaging to sperm whale cells and DNA. (Source: Aquatic Toxicology)

5) Oil exposure damages fish development—in many species

The report says: “A study by university and government researchers examined the overlap between spawning habitat and oiled waters and concluded that the spawning area for bluefin tuna extended much farther west than previously known and that “the proportion of spawning habitat impacted by oil was generally predicted to be small (<10%).”

What it leaves out: Estimates vary on how many larval bluefin tuna may have been exposed. One NOAA study estimated that the figure could be as high as 20 percent. (Source: NOAA)

And a recent comprehensive laboratory study found that a chemical in Deepwater Horizon oil can cause irregular heartbeats in bluefin and yellowfin tuna that can lead to heart attacks, or even death. The resulting heartbeat changes significantly altered the development of other organs. The researchers suggest that many other vertebrate species in the Gulf could have been similarly affected. (Source: Science)

6) Right after the spill, red snapper and other fish had unusual lesions

The report says: “Researchers from the University of South Alabama and Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama took samples of reef fish from the Alabama and western Florida Panhandle coasts from January 2010 to June 2011. They found no significant evidence of diseased fish in those populations.”

What it leaves out: In the aftermath of the spill, a number of fish caught in the Gulf between eastern Louisiana and western Florida had unusual lesions or rotting fins. Lesions were most common in bottom-dwelling species, including red snapper, and were particularly common north of the wellhead. (Source: Transactions of the American Fisheries Society)

7) An unusual lack of young red snapper

The report says: “In an Auburn University study published in 2014, researchers found no evidence that the spill affected young red snapper populations on reefs off the Alabama coast.”

What it leaves out: Both 2010 and 2011 had the lowest numbers of juvenile red snapper seen in the eastern Gulf fishery since 1994. (Source: NOAA SEDAR)

8) Seaside sparrows on oiled sites less likely to fledge

The report says: “Data from studies that BP conducted independently indicate that in 2011, the spill did not adversely impact bird productivity – how successful birds are at producing offspring. Brown pelicans, laughing gulls, great egrets, black skimmers, bald eagles and ospreys were studied.

What it leaves out: Preliminary data from 2012 and 2013 indicate that seaside sparrows from nests on unoiled sites were significantly more likely to fledge than those on oiled sites.. (Source: BioScience)

9) Oil is still washing up on beaches

The report says: “Since some of the heavily oiled areas were last surveyed a year or two earlier, NRDA teams resurveyed the areas in 2014 and determined that a total of just one mile remained heavily oiled.”

What it leaves out: Recent studies of beach shoreline in Alabama suggest that tar balls are likely to continue washing up for years to come on Gulf Coast beaches, and could pose a risk to organisms living on or near those beaches. (Source: Science of the Total Environment)

10) Oil remains in Louisiana’s coastal marshes

The report says: “A 2012 University of Florida study that measured the rate of marsh erosion in a limited geographic area in Louisiana showed that erosion rates returned to normal 18 months after the spill and that its impact was generally limited to the edge of the marshes.”

What it leaves out: In May 2013, three years after the spill, more than 80 miles of marsh shoreline in Louisiana remained visibly oiled. The long-term effects of the oiling of Gulf marshes are still unclear and may take decades to unfold. (Source: International Oil Spill Conference)

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/03/10-things-bps-new-report-doesnt-tell-you/feed/11048705 Steps Toward Restoring the Gulf of Mexicohttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/12/5-steps-toward-restoring-the-gulf-of-mexico/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/12/5-steps-toward-restoring-the-gulf-of-mexico/#commentsTue, 09 Dec 2014 17:02:44 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=100810Nearly five years ago, BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, setting off a catastrophe that killed 11 men and sent more than four million barrels of oil deep into the …

]]>Nearly five years ago, BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, setting off a catastrophe that killed 11 men and sent more than four million barrels of oil deep into the Gulf. Recently, scientists mapped the location of a portion of the remaining oil—finding it in a sort of blotchy “bathtub ring” roughly the size of Rhode Island.

BP has been found ‘grossly negligent,’ and the company could end up paying as much as $18 billion in civil penalties under the Clean Water Act, much of which will be sent to the states for restoration purposes.

1. Restore Sediment Supply

The Gulf’s watershed encompasses more than half of the land mass of the continental United States, including thirty-three major rivers. The Mississippi River and its distributaries alone provide up to 90% of the fresh water and 95% of all sediment entering the northern Gulf.

But the Mississippi River is straitjacketed by levees from the Midwest to the bottom of Louisiana’s boot toe. Sediment that once fed Louisiana’s coastal wetlands is now sent into the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana’s wetlands and marshes are disappearing rapidly, in part because they are starved of the river’s sediment and fresh water. Without sand from the river, many barrier islands are also rapidly eroding—and offering less protection from storms. In total, Louisiana’s coastline loses an average of a football field of land every hour. Projects to strategically reconnect the river’s freshwater and sediment with the eroding wetlands could restore and rebuild as much as 300 square miles of wetlands by 2060 that would otherwise be lost.

2. Restore Wetlands

The Gulf Coast is home to more than half of all saltwater wetlands in the country and the Gulf region contains more than a third of the nation’s freshwater wetlands. Wetlands play a critical role in the Gulf ecosystem—providing habitat, filtering pollutants, stabilizing shorelines, and providing protection from storms. Wetlands also support the seafood and recreational fishing industries. The most recent federal study shows that wetlands losses in in the Gulf region were massive—with 260,000 acres of wetlands having disappeared over a five-year period.

3. Restore the Balance between Fresh and Salt Water

Over the past hundred years, most of the major rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico have been substantially altered in one way or another. Many rivers have been dammed; their water diverted for use in cities or for agriculture. But the areas where rivers flow into the Gulf—ecosystems called estuaries—are vital for young fish, crabs, shrimp, oysters, and most of the species of fish we eat. With populations in cities rising, important estuaries such as Galveston Bay in Texas may not have enough fresh water to maintain their function as the nurseries of the Gulf.

But oyster reefs have declined dramatically across the Gulf’s estuaries for a multitude of reasons, including overharvesting, dredging, and changes in the quality, quantity and timing of fresh water flowing into the estuary. For example, Mississippi Sound and Pensacola Bay are estimated to have each lost more than 90% of their historical oyster reefs. But despite this decades-long decline, the Gulf coast still produces two-thirds of the nation’s oysters. Restoring oyster reefs will improve water quality and boost the health of the Gulf, while protecting shorelines from storms.

]]>The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced a second round of Gulf restoration projects, totaling $99.2 million. A total of 25 projects across the Gulf will seek to restore and increase the resilience of the Gulf’s natural resources. Over the next four years, NFWF will allocate more than $2 billion in additional funds, bringing the total to $2.5 billion to projects benefiting habitats of the Gulf Coast that were impacted by the spill.

“In order to succeed, NFWF must bring together state resource agencies, federal agencies, and other public and private partners, all working in harmony to fund the best projects that will do the most good for the Gulf of Mexico and the communities that depend on it each and every day”, said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “The projects we announce today demonstrate the value of our efforts to work in a collaborative fashion to select projects that will provide significant benefits to wildlife and people for many years to come.”

Estuaries – Special Places for Wildlife

The projects announced this week recognize the importance of restoring estuaries—the places where fresh water from river water mixes with the saltier waters of the Gulf. Estuaries are where almost all of the fish and shellfish we harvest for sport or seafood from the Gulf are born, live or mature, but the Gulf’s estuaries have been dramatically altered over the past hundred years. Restoring the Gulf’s estuaries will benefit wildlife and will boost important elements of the local economy – in particular the fishing and tourism industries.

“We want to see projects that will have the biggest impact on fish and wildlife,” said David Muth, director of the National’s Wildlife Federation’s efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, “because that is the way to insure a healthy future for gulf ecosystems and the communities that depend upon them. Projects that benefit water quality and restore estuarine habitat on the local scale have benefits that resonate gulf-wide. The projects announced this week set the bar high for the other sources of post-oil spill restoration funding.”

An Unprecedented Opportunity

The NFWF funds are only one funding stream for restoration to come out of the BP oil disaster – the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and the RESTORE Act should send additional billions to the Gulf Coast. NWF is working in each state and across the Gulf to ensure that these funds are used to restore important habitats for fish and wildlife while improving quality of life for people who live and recreate near the Gulf Coast.

Projects in this round of NFWF funding do just that. For example, efforts to use science to restore Louisiana’s disappearing wetlands and rebuild its barrier islands, thoughtful planning to restore habitats on the Alabama coast, and a project to restore marshes on the Mississippi coast will all help to lay a framework to ensure the comprehensive restoration of the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Wildlife Federation is focusing on projects that will do the following: protect and restore wetlands and marshes; restore oyster reefs and sea grass beds; restore natural river flows into estuaries and deltas; stabilize and rebuild barrier islands; and promote best management practices for silviculture and agriculture.

Projects like these will help maximize the economic recovery of the Gulf States and in many cases will provide storm protection for coastal communities.

Speak up for Gulf Restoration

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2014/11/a-100m-step-toward-restoring-the-gulf/feed/1102048Sound Science Needed for Gulf Restorationhttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/09/sound-science-needed-for-gulf-restoration/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/09/sound-science-needed-for-gulf-restoration/#respondThu, 04 Sep 2014 18:45:57 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=99874Four years ago the BP oil spill killed eleven workers and sent more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Two years ago the RESTORE Act …

]]>Four years ago the BP oil spill killed eleven workers and sent more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Two years ago the RESTORE Act passed, which will send 80% of Clean Water Act civil fines paid by BP and other companies responsible for the disaster back to the Gulf States.

It has now been one year since the Initial Comprehensive Plan was released, developed by the Gulf Council to serve as a guide when restoring the ecosystem.

The Deepwater Horizon Site. Credit: NOAA.

But to date, the funds from this law are not yet being used to restore the Gulf.

Currently, $800 million from the Transocean settlement is available via the RESTORE Act, but that funding is still tied up. More money—far more money—will be available once the BP trial concludes either by settlement or through the conclusion of the legal process.

Project Evaluation & Selection

But a bit of progress has happened of late. The Restore Council recently released a project selection and evaluation framework, indicating how projects will be selected and vetted. This came on the heels of an oversight hearing by the Senate Commerce Committee, during which the Restore Council was told to “Get on with it!”.

Last month the Council announced a process for individual Council members to submit projects. This process will ultimately result in an initial list of priorities intended to receive funding.

The good news is that an external expert science review is part of the project evaluation. In particular, the “science evaluation engine” will establish if a project has utilized the best available science and will establish the scientific basis of the proposed activity.

While this is a good first step, it does not go quite far enough. One big problem is that the reviewers will be working on a volunteer basis, so there is no guarantee scientists with the most relevant expertise will be involved in evaluating a particular project. Furthermore, there is no ranking or scoring mechanisms to ensure that the best projects rise to the top of the list.

Next Steps

This week the Council announced that Russell H. Beard will serve as interim Science Coordinator “until such time as a permanent hire comes on board”. While this is a step forward, we encourage the Council to hire a full-time Science Coordinator as quickly as possible in order to coordinate reviews, locate proper reviewers for the proposed projects, and ensure objectivity in project selection.

In addition, it will be important to spell out how projects will be compared and prioritized. With so many ecosystem needs in the Gulf Coast region, difficult decisions lie ahead. But one thing is for sure: the Council should invest in the very best projects. This will require a selection process that is both objective and transparent.

The headlines from the past several weeks make it eminently clear that the Gulf of Mexico is in dire need of restoration: Oyster production throughout the Gulf remains low, the number of sea turtle nests appear to be dropping, additional damaged corals have been discovered, and the dead zone is the size of Connecticut.